Volume 2: Systems > Goals

Don't focus on goals. Focus on systems.

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Goals are exciting and wonderful and motivational and everything good!!!

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Until you need to achieve them.. Then comes the frustration, disillusionment, and burnout.

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Goals are nothing without the systems in place to achieve them.

Goals are ideas. Systems are repeatable frameworks of actions.

Goals are a destination. Systems are how you get there.

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And life isn't a destination - it's a journey. An infinite game.

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You don't "win" life. You live. Life itself is a collection of systems of doing and being (hence the name "human being").

​James Clear, author of Atomic Habits (absolutely life changing book by the way - here's my copy with a ton of sticky notes), said it perfectly:

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You can set aspirational goals to lose 30 pounds in the next year or save 25% of your income over the next 6 months, and that's amazing! I'm all here for it (personal big fan of SMART goals).

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But if you don't have equal or even better systems in place to achieve them, you'll fall short.

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If you want to lose 30 pounds in a year, that's your goal! And here are some examples of systems you could create:

1. Workout 3x per week for 60 minutes each
2. Eat in a daily 100 calorie deficit
3. Get 6-8 hours of sleep per day
4. Cut down that Starbucks from two times per day to one (this is an admission of guilt)

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You get the idea.

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Ground your goals in high quality, enjoyable systems that you can repeatedly do with relative ease.

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And don't be afraid to change your systems around if you need! It's all about what works best for you to achieve your goals. And that takes trial and error.

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Just remember to focus more on the journey (systems) than the destination (goal).

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You may miss some beautiful sights if you don't.

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See you next Thursday, Steppers.

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We will succeed,

Grayson

​graysonstepanek.com​

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Song of the Week:

Iris The Goo Goo Dolls PREVIEW   ​

Words don't do this song justice. Iris is a classic. The lyrics, the emotion, the instrumentation, the vocal belting, all of it. One of my all-time favorite songs and one of those I get reminded of every 6 months and am like "man, I love this song!" (most recently after hearing a pretty solid cover by Machine Gun Kelly and Julia Wolf). Timeless music.